Ever wonder how to earn and income and still be more present with your family? I know I have! As a business owner and homeschooling mom to three kids, you can be sure I need to know how to maximize my time and energy, as well as my profits. The famous saying is true: work smarter, not harder.
Time is a Finite Resource
Let’s be honest: There are only so many hours in a day. I don’t have to tell you, as a mom, the amount of things you’re responsible for doing in those hours seems to be never ending.
When you find yourself in a situation where you want (or need) to contribute to the household income or want to start your own business so you are more fulfilled on a personal level, it can feel overwhelming to look at Google Calendar and wonder where those extra hours are going to come from.
The truth is people are the most productive when they are not exchanging time for money. When you become stuck in this transaction, your income will always be limited. Why? Time is a finite resource, and there is only so much we can do in a day. Scratch that. There is only so much we can do well in a day.
And while I can’t speak for you, I know I like to spend at least part of my time with my family, catching up with friends, reading, and binging on Starbucks and Netflix. It doesn’t mean I want to limit my earning potential by working less.
Does that mean you’re doomed to be in a state of status quo forever?
What Smart Women Do Instead
So what’s the secret? Smart women are finding and creating opportunities to earn passive income. If you aren’t sure what passive income is, it’s money that is made while you are living your best life. Maybe that’s vacationing, maybe it’s homeschooling your kids, (maybe that’s just me), or whatever it is for you.
For some, you may already have a full or part time job, but maybe you are looking for ways to pay for the extras in life: the dance lessons, the private school, the vacation experiences your kids will have a lifetime, home upgrades. Or maybe you’d like to create a side business that will become viable enough that will allow you to leave your outside employment.
Whatever it is, passive income can help open opportunities for money without a lot of your active attention.
What is Passive Income?
While the simple idea is that passive income is, well, passive. It’s not exactly all sitting back and doing nothing. Generally, there is an initial investment of either money or time, maybe as simple as trying a product or service, and then sharing that with others. When they opt to use the product or service based on your recommendation, you are earning passive income.
It’s no different than getting together with your gal pals and swapping “good deals”… I got this on sale at Target for $XX. XYZ store is having a sale on kids clothes, etc. Affiliate marketing is very similar. Sharing what you love, but the difference is you are getting paid for sharing!
Pretty cool, right?
Other examples might be real-estate (initial investment of your money to purchase the property and time to fix it up, but you earn money on the monthly rental) or the stock market (you invest in the business’ product and receive a share of their profits when they do well).
Is Passive Income Taxable?
In the United States (sorry international readers, I can’t help you out here), passive income is not taxed (woohoo!). For that reason, they have a strict definition of what qualifies as passive income. They define it as money earned from activity in which the investor does not materially participate. In other words, you can’t be involved in the continual business operations. Which isn’t your goal anyway, right?
Why is Passive Income Good?
So to recap so far: passive income is good because you don’t have to work harder to earn it, income is earned following your initial investment of time or money trying a product or service, and the money earned isn’t taxed if you aren’t actively engaged in the day to day operations of the business.
All this sound good?
And I mentioned examples of passive income like stocks, real estate, and sharing products. You might be thinking you don’t have the time or the money to invest in learning about the stock market or the real estate market right now (although HGTV is pretty amazing). And the last time you shared a recommendation about that great new local bakery that opened, they didn’t even give you so much as a free cupcake, so that’s not paying the bills.
Enter the right types of affiliate marketing programs for you and your business.
Three Ways to Use Affiliate Marketing & Earn Income
Above I talked about one type of passive income being linked to sharing products and services with others. Maybe you’ve seen some influencers on Instagram share makeup or clothing finds with links to their affiliate stores.(Don’t worry – I’m not going to suggest you invest in a lot of products and convince your husband he needs to follow you around taking pictures of you all day trying to get the perfect shot for your grid!) Income might be in the form of a credit on future services, gift cards, or actual dollars.
Recommend Services You Use and Love
The secret smart women know is that they only recommend the products and services they use and love. I know this is true for me and my business. I feel it preserves my integrity, and it helps me to be authentic and genuine with my audience. I am a role model in my business for others, and for my children, so I definitely don’t want to come across as sleazy or sales-y in anything I do.
As a digital marketer, I recommend products like ConvertKit for email (and I’ve used them for over six years now), Styled Stock Society for all of my photos and templates used on my website and social media, Systeme.io for an easy to build, easy to use all in one marketing platform. I also recommend products and books I buy from Amazon in my gift guides.
Sharing what you love doesn’t have to be hard. By the way, chocolate is my favorite sweet fix, but I didn’t get paid to say that!
Reward Others Who Promote Your Business
Smart women know that companies who offer affiliate programs reward others who promote their business. In business, this is a genuine way to say thank you as a tangible expression of gratitude because they value the time it took to share about you and your business. So many businesses do this! How many times have you seen (and shared) a referral code with a friend where you each get $25 off your first order or something else amazing? One coupon to use, and one to share with a friend.
Stitch Fix and Grove Collaborative are great examples of this. In my business, I give a $100 Amazon gift card to my biz besties when they refer my services as a digital marketer just as a fun way to say thanks!
Who uses affiliate marketing?
Chances are, you probably know people who have shared affiliate marketing offers with you. If you’ve ever complimented someone on their outfit, shoes, home decor, or asked what meal prep delivery service they’re loving these days and they’ve said, “Oh wait! Let me get you my link and a code! You can get $25 off if you order something!,” chances are you someone who is receiving an affiliate bonus from that company.
Maybe you’ve been searching the internet for ideas on how to earn money from home and you’ve come across some videos where someone tells you they know of a company that will help you get started or they used it themselves to leave their corporate job and be a stay at home parent. When you watch their presentations or click on their offers, the link leads you to the company’s registration page, and you are on your way, and the affiliates have earned their commission.
3 Biggest Misconceptions About Affiliate Marketing
When I first became involved with my business and considered adding a leg of affiliate marketing, I know I had a lot of mindset work to do around it. I kept telling myself it was sales-y and opportunistic. I felt my audience wasn’t large enough (after all, I am not an influencer by any stretch of the imagination). Would I be confusing my audience? And I honestly was a little confused about how it all works.
Is Affiliate Marketing Complicated?
Smart women know affiliate marketing doesn’t have to be complicated. When I first started learning about the steps involved, I have to admit; any Google search was overwhelming with information. There is a lot of fear-mongering online (surprise!), and I was hesitant to keep researching. Would I have control over fulfillment or payments? Would I be provided with the tools and data I needed to succeed? Was I choosing a good program?
A lot of this was set aside once I started aligning myself with trusted, reputable programs, and businesses. A business is only going to succeed if the people sharing it can do so correctly and if they are compensated adequately according to the terms. Confusing directions? No commission? No one will share the offer. It makes total sense.
Did I Need a Large Audience to be an Affiliate?
Another big concern I had was that my audience wasn’t broad enough. I know there is a lot of competition for clicks and engagement online.
It’s important to do your research in driving traffic to your posts and links. You know from your own experience searching online, some businesses know how to make sure they use the best keywords or hashtags, create captivating copy, engaging content, click-worthy graphics, to make you stop and engage with their content. Their investment of time on the front-end means they show up when you’re searching and (hopefully) they get rewarded with your clicks in return.
With a little practice, you’ll be able to do the same with your own affiliate offers.
Will My Audience Be Clear About What I Do?
Finally, I worried that my audience would be unsure about what I offered. After all, I provide digital marketing advice, support as a technical obm, and a launch manager. . . would it be confusing to all of a sudden be an affiliate marketer for products, too? Well, honestly, I could be both.
By being exactly who I am, a busy homeschooling mom with an online marketing business, the need for a viable passive income stream is genuine in my life. And maybe yours, too which is why I love talking about how digital marketing and affiliate marketing go together like peanut butter and jelly! Plus I love helping other moms do the same thing. If I can do it, so can you, really.
It’s natural to be cautious when starting something new. But Warren Buffet, and others, have stated time and again millionaires have seven streams of income. Since you aren’t likely getting seven jobs (as if there was time!), a wise decision is adding a passive income stream like affiliate marketing to your portfolio.
Remember where we started? Work smarter, not harder.
How You Can Learn to Implement the BEST Affiliate Marketing Opportunities Quickly and Easily
Remember I told you some of the things I was concerned about when beginning affiliate marketing? I learned a lot through trial and error and lots and lots of research.
Over time I figured out how to navigate my concerns about finding my audience, choosing the companies I’d want to work with, competition, links, SEO, my banking information (hey, they needed to know where to deposit my money, right?), and taxes.
Maybe these are all questions spinning around in your head too?
The Affiliate Marketing Roadmap will help you choose the best programs for you and your audience and as well as how to start sharing those programs. I’ll also share information about the legal basics (but keep in mind, I may be a lot of things, but attorney at law isn’t one of them, so be sure to check with an advisor in your state).
I am not about being sales-y just for the sake of making a few dollars. I still have to answer to my audience, to my family, and God about the choices I make in my business. I want to maintain authenticity, and I wouldn’t share products and services that I don’t use and love myself.
Plus I think people are pretty smart. Long gone are the days of the used cars sales slimy approach. If I am darn excited about a product, the enthusiasm, and interest I show in sharing shine through.
What would you do with $2k per month that just shows up in your bank account?
Download your copy of the Affiliate Marketing Roadmap and get started earning passive income for your family the smart way.
